Channel Sales Support Intern Review

I have had a great year working as a sales support intern at Hewlett Packard Enterprise. My tear has been full of opportunities, and I have learnt things that I never knew existed. Everyone I have had contact with or worked with has been so enthusiastic and passionate about the role, which makes working at HPE so enjoyable. Working alongside other interns also helped me feel less alone and we were able to work together on some projects.

I felt very valued by my colleagues throughout the year. My team were always asking me questions keeping in close contact. Especially during lockdown, the team made an effort to check up on me and my well being. Team meetings and social events at work enabled me to learn more about my colleagues and form a bond with them, which I think is very important so that you feel more comfortable with and around each other!

HPE offers so much support, and everyone is always so open and willing to help you with anything. If I was stuck I never found myself with no one to ask! My manager was promoted to a more senior role half way through my internship, and still found time to catch up with me and ask questions surrounding my work which was really appreciated. You also get paired with a mentor who constantly offers support and guidance for your personal development throughout the year.

I had tasks of which I undertook on a daily basis, however my workload varied depending on how busy my team were and what work they needed from me. Every 2 weeks, I ran forecasting with my team which would make that particular week a little bit busier. If I did find myself overloaded with work, I was able to prioritise the tasks I absolutely had to complete first then work my way through them all.

I was given a large amount of responsibility. Especially during forecasting, whereby I would create the file and send out to the team on the week of forecasting. I would then collate each member of the team's figures and put them into my master file and presented on the call. I was also able to set up meetings and calls at my own leisure. I was able to sign up for and volunteer to help with anything I wanted to/was interested in.

I have learnt so much on different programs this year - mostly Excel. I had hardly used it before joining HPE last year, but now feel confident in carrying out a variety of reports and analysis as well as basic excel which I will remember for my final year at university and in future jobs I'm sure. I also believe that my personal development has come a long way. There were always opportunities to develop networking, presenting, confidence etc skills which I took up.

Due to the fact that there were 60 interns overall - around 45 in my office, there was never a dull moment and we were able to lend a hand to each other if we were stuck. Additionally, the people in my team and my manager were really fun and exciting people which was great. The office itself had a canteen and outside area which was great for breaks and networking. The office also had a range of meeting rooms which you could book which was useful and gave a professional atmosphere to the building. The dress code was smart casual, so to keep the professional atmosphere up.

The week we all joined was full of onboarding and talks from professionals within the business from all different areas of the company. This was overwhelming but also really motivating and exciting as it enabled us to learn about the products and industry we had never set foot in before. We had a month handover with the intern we were taking over from, whereby they taught us the role which was good as we could ask them anything and it was 1:1 so we were able to learn well. Before the internship started we were kept in the loop of what we might need to do before starting etc.

The company were always pushing opportunities our way, and constantly checked up with us on how our personal development was going. When we were assigned a mentor, regular chats enabled us to plan how I'd make the most out of my internship and what I wanted to get out of it and how.

I'm not 100% sure if I'd want to work in the IT industry, however I know that if I came back the job and company would be great and I'd feel welcomed and encouraged throughout!

I lived with 3 other interns which was great. There were so many interns so there were always social things to get involved in. The month we joined where we had a month crossover with the interns before us to teach us the role was good as we were able to meet so many new people. HPE also put on so many social events whereby it was a great chance to network and talk to colleagues outside of the office.

I lived in Reading, as the office was in Bracknell, so only 20 minute drive to the office. Bracknell as a whole isn't the most exciting, but when there are so many interns it made the office more lively. There was a gym and a shopping center close to the office which was good. The cost of living was reasonable and Reading city center was pretty good and reasonable for going out and doing things with a range of activities and places to go.

Bracknell nightlife is pretty non existent, apart from a few pubs. Reading nightlife is good and there is a wide variety of places to choose from. Reading is also a popular student city so there would be student nights, deals, events on which was great.

Yes, so many opportunities. As soon as I joined, I was able to walk in the Manchester Pride parade and stay up in Manchester for the weekend. I took part in Palace to Palace and raised more than £200 for the Prince's Trust. A lot of volunteering opportunities also arise which is great as you get to raise money for charities of your choice doing worthwhile things like sport challenges, painting schools, volunteering as food banks etc.